Wofford College senior named Rhodes Scholar

Saturday

Nov 17, 2012 at 9:05 PM

A Wofford College senior joined an elite group on Saturday, becoming one of 32 from across the nation to be selected as a Rhodes Scholar.

By LEE G. HEALYlee.healy@shj.com

A Wofford College senior joined an elite group on Saturday, becoming one of 32 from across the nation to be selected as a Rhodes Scholar.Rachel Woodlee, 21, of Greer, received the good news after a series of activities and interviews for Rhodes finalists in St. Louis, Mo. The last time a Wofford student was named a Rhodes Scholar was in 1974, making Woodlee the sixth scholar — and first female scholar — in school history. Via phone Saturday night, Woodlee, a Wofford volleyball player majoring in business economics and Chinese, said she felt “humbled” to be chosen out of such an impressive assembly of finalists. As member of the Rhodes Scholar Class of 2013, Woodlee will spend two years studying at the University of Oxford in England, expenses paid.“It means everything,” Woodlee said. “It means that all of the hard work that I’ve put in has paid off. All of the help people at Wofford have given me has gone toward something meaningful, and for the rest of my life I can tell people I was a Rhodes Scholar, and that is a very meaningful thing.”Wofford President Bernie Dunlap — a Rhodes Scholar in 1959 — praised Woodlee’s accomplishment.“As someone who has lived and studied in China and other distant lands, she knows a great deal about the world,” Dunlap said. “And, as a Wofford student leader with a perfect academic record, as someone with wit and energy and verve, as a person intensely committed to the well-being of others, she is perfectly equipped to make this world a better place.”The most recent group of Rhodes Scholars were selected on the basis of academic achievements and character from a pool of more than 800 applicants from 300 American colleges and universities. Woodlee and fellow Wofford student Brian McCracken of Anderson were among the scholarship finalists for the local geographical region.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.